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Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.) said Obama reiterated that immigration reform was his top legislative priority and would be leading the charge. “The president is the quarterback and he will direct the team, call the play, and be pivotal if we succeed,” he said in a statement following the meeting.

The White House said the president and the CHC have a “shared vision” and that “any legislation must include a path to earned citizenship.”

Meanwhile, Senate negotiators are working toward a deal in principle could be announced as soon as next week, with the target date of Feb. 1, sources say. That would start the process of drafting the legislation, with the goal of a floor debate by late spring or early summer. The White House is drafting its own bill, but that very likely would not be the main bill that would be considered by the Senate if the bipartisan deal takes shape.

In the Senate, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) has joined the bipartisan group of senators working on the issue, and the group may be ready to announce a deal by next Friday.

As for Rubio, he has been coy about his involvement with the bipartisan group of negotiators. While he said he’s met with the group in the past, he now is more directly engaged and appears poised to sign onto the emerging consensus forming, sources said.

That could mean that the group has moved in Rubio’s direction on how to deal with the 11 million illegal immigrants in the country. Rather than a direct pathway to citizenship, as Democrats in the group have called for, Rubio has said that illegal immigrants should be able to stay in the country and access the legal immigration system. He has been aggressively pitching the plan to conservative voices in his party and has received a warm reception.